The Life of Isabella Marie Swan
by 19-twilight-fan-93
Summary: In a world where you would wish vampires were the worst thing in the shadows. Being kidnapped is only the beginning of Bella's worst nightmare. AU
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. Al rights belong to SM. **

**A/N: New Story! A HUGE thanks to my beta, Princess2000204, she the best!**

**Let me know what you think about this story. It's also going on twilighted! My penname there is twiheart93 :)**

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><p><em>A little girl with chocolate brown hair ran down the sidewalk chasing after her ball. Her mother and father were in the garden talking, oblivious to the danger their three year old was in. <em>

_She reached her ball where it had stopped, and smiled as she grasped it in her tiny hands. When she looked around, she was no longer by her house; for a tiny three year old, she was lost. _

_When she heard someone talking, she thought it was her daddy, and decided to follow the voice. _

"_I'm telling you, the money is there." She heard someone cry. _

"_I believe we agreed on five grand, not three." Someone said in a mean voice. She knew that these men were not her daddy, but it was too late; they had spotted her. _

"_Is this your fucking kid? Huh?" the mean man asked pointing at her. Then he slapped the nice man in the face. "Come here kid." He shouted. _

_She tried to run away, but her little legs were too short, and she never got far when someone grabbed her around the waist. She screamed as loud as she could, and she kicked as hard as she could, but nothing worked; she was too little. _

"_Thanks to you," the mean man hissed at the nice man, "she's coming back with us, and if she dies, it'll be your fault."_

"_But-" the nice man tried to speak, but he got slapped again. The child cringed in the mean man's arms._

"_Come on, get in the car."_

_They got in the car and drove away. _

"_Isabella." Her mother called from down the street. "Isabella? Where are you? Bella? Honey, come out if you can hear mommy." The street was filled with an eerie silence. _

"_Charlie!" Renee screamed as a black car drove pass their house but when Charlie came out of the house, the car was gone, out of sight, with their only daughter trapped inside._

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><p><strong>AN: The chapters will be longer, this is just an introduction :) **

**Let me know what you think of it!**

**Maddie**


	2. Welcome to Your New Home

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. All rights belong to SM. **

**A/N: WOW! 3 reviews, 4 favorites, and 5 alerts, and I JUST posted it. With only about 350 words too! You guys amaze me and I love you all :) **

**Chapter 1, I already had about 12 pages wrote, but I sent it to my beta Princess 2000204 and she told me I could break it into a couple chapters, so I did. Chapter 2 is almost done, and if I get 10 reviews, I'll post it tomorrow. But I have to get at least 10, if I get more, great! **

**And now, onto chapter 1 :)**

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><p><em>Doesn't come down when she calls, <em>  
><em>"It's time for breakfast." <em>  
><em>The memories begin to fall. <em>  
><em>She asks, "When will I be free?"<em>  
>- <em>All These Lives by Chris Daughtry<em>

_**Chapter 1 - Welcome to Your New Home**_

_**POV: Isabella Swan**_

_**Flashbacks: Third person pov**_

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><p><strong>15 years later…<strong>

"Lillian!" Master James yelled from somewhere in the house. I quickly ran to his voice, and found him in the living room, eyeing a vase which he held in his hand. He turned to face me as I entered the room with my head bowed and my hands clasped in front of me. "Lillian," he said again, much more calmly this time, "you have grown into a fine young woman. Now I know your birthday is not for a few months but I have an early present for you."

I was expecting the worse, but when he handed me an envelope, my heart started to pound loudly in my chest. Slowly, and carefully, I opened it. Inside was a folded piece of paper, my eyes widened as I read the heading: **You are formally invited to Edward Cullen's 19th birthday. **

I looked at Master James confused. _What does this have to do with me?_ He noticed my confusion.

"Ah Lillian, I am taking you to this party, as my guest. I raised you to respect me, and this is your chance to prove yourself. The party is tomorrow night at six. I expect you to be ready by five, no later, understood?"

I nodded my head and whispered, "Yes master."

"Good girl, now go make your self useful, I have stuff to do." With a flick of his wrist, I scurried out the door.

James Dale kidnapped me at the age of three, and at first I didn't understand it. Why did he need a child so young? When we entered his house, the puzzle pieces started to fit together perfectly. I was their child.

_Flashback (Three years old)_

_The house they stopped at was big, way bigger than Isabella's two story house. The mean man grabbed Bella by the hand and pulled her towards the house, she was scared now. Her parent's always told her not to talk to strangers, and technically she didn't, but her three year old eyes saw something that wasn't meant to be seen, and it landed her in a lot of trouble. _

_The man stopped outside the big house and sat her down on the step; he sat down next to her. _

_"What's your name sweetie?" he asked in a kind voice. Bella was smart for a three year old; she shook her head 'no', not saying a word. The man pouted, "I'm James, but you have to call me daddy, okay?"_

_Bella was confused, this man wasn't her daddy, Charlie Swan, police chief of Forks, was her daddy. _

_A lady with red hair came out of the house, "James," she cried, "who's this cutie?" _

_"This is our daughter Vicki, but she won't tell me her name, so we are going to have to name her." James smiled up at the lady, whose name was Vicki._

_This lady wasn't Bella's mommy, Renee Swan was Bella's mommy. The tiny three-year old sat on the steps, confused. So much was going on that she didn't understand. _

_Vicki walked down the stairs, and knelt to come face to face with Bella. "Sweetheart, can you tell me your name?" Bella shook her head. "I'll give you a treat." She was hungry, but she knows better than to take candy from strangers. _

_Vicki looked at James, who nodded his head before disappearing in the house. When the door was closed Vicki looked at the frighten child again, "If you won't tell me your name, then I will name you." She stood up and grabbed Bella's hand. "Come on, time to see your new home. You will call me mommy, and you will call James daddy. We are going to have so much fun; I always wanted a little girl."_

_When Bella wouldn't move, Vicki huffed and grabbed her by the waist. She placed the three year old on her hip, much to Bella's dismay, and proceeded up the stairs and in the house. _

_Bella kicked and squirmed the whole way to her room. One time she even tried to fall out of the lady's arms, but Vicki held her tightly. She didn't want her baby getting hurt. _

_They stood in front of a pink door, with the words 'Lillian's Room' strategically placed on it. The door opened and Bella's face lit up. It was so pink! The walls had a castle on it, with all the Disney princesses, and even her bed was shaped like a castle. Vicki admired the little girl's expression; she knew this room would warm her up. She studied the little girl one last time, and gently placed her on her feet where she wasted no time running into the bedroom. _

_"Have fun Lily." Vicki tried out the name for her little girl._

_When Bella turned around at the name, she looked confused. "My name is not Lily." She said. _

_"Yes it is my Lily-bear. Play with your toys now, dinner will be ready soon." Without another word, Vicki left the room, locking the door behind her._

_Bella didn't play with her toys instead she sat on her new princess bed and cried. She cried because she lost her ball and instead of getting her mom or dad to get it, she got it herself, she cried because she will never see her mommy or daddy again, and she cried because this is her life now. That night, and every night after, she cried herself to sleep. _

_End of Flashback_

My real name is Isabella Marie Swan, but since the Dales kidnapped me, my name has been Lillian Victoria Dale.

I wouldn't tell them my name at three years old, so they named me themselves. They even went as far as getting me christened in the river outside their house.

At three, I couldn't do much, so I was Vicki and James' baby girl.

At five, they taught me to read and write.

At seven, I learned to wash dishes, and if they weren't perfectly clean, I got 'taught a lesson'. James would throw me over his knee and smack my ass until I screamed "I'm sorry Daddy!" Then he would hug me and shower me in kisses. He said he was 'teaching me a lesson'.

At the age of nine, I was doing laundry and most of the housework. I was no longer considered their little girl, I was their maid.

At eleven years old, they decided I was old enough to go out in public. I would go outside on the lawn all the time, and I was ecstatic that I would see people other than my 'parents'. After eight years of calling James and Vicki 'daddy and mommy', I was starting to think they were my actual parents, but I knew better.

A year after - on my twelfth birthday- Vicki hired a family friend to die and cut my hair. Kate, the hairdresser, completely changed my appearance; I didn't know who I was anymore. Then after she left, Victoria forced me in a frilly dress, that was almost identical to hers, and James dressed in a tux, and they took me out to dinner for my birthday as a family.

_Flashback_

_"Lily," Vicki called, "time to get dressed, we are leaving soon." Ever since Kate colored and cut her hair, she's been staring at herself in the mirror in her bathroom. She didn't look like herself, and she cried the entire time Kate was doing it._

_She jumped when the door to the bathroom opened, "Lillian Dale, get out here right now." Bella lowered her head, and walked out into her bedroom. When she turned eight, she was no longer considered a 'little girl' and James and Vicki removed everything from her room, and repainted her walls red. She didn't like it, but over the years she learned not to complain. _

_"Put this on, and then sit on the chair." Vicki threw a red dress at her. Reluctantly she put it on, and turned around when Vicki came back to zip it up. The dress had a black ribbon and puffed out below the waist. It only went past her knees, and although she would never admit it, she loved the dress._

_Without a word, she sat on the chair. Vicki styled her hair in a half-up-half-down look, and pinned her bang to the side. _

_Vicki made sure everything was perfect before locking her child in her bedroom and going to put on her matching dress. _

_An hour later they were seated in a small restaurant somewhere in town. James covered Bella's eyes with a blindfold to 'surprise her', but she knew it was to make sure she had no idea where she was. _

_The waitress gave the family their menus, "What would you like to drink?" She asked in a sweet voice. _

_James spoke for the whole family, "We'll have a glass of coke each and Lily here will have a glass of root beer. It's her birthday today." Bella didn't even know what root beer was, because she was never allowed to drink soda. She was excited to taste it though. _

_The waitress smiled at the happy family, but Bella was far from happy. _

_She wanted to tell somebody, anybody, that these people kidnapped her and have been playing 'house' since she was three years old. But no one would believe her. So what was the point? _

_"Jam - daddy?" She asked quietly. James looked towards her with an eyebrow raised. "I have to use the washroom, m-may I be excused?" James looked towards the washroom, it was fairly close to their table, and there was no way she could escape without them seeing her._

_"Alright Lily, but quickly, our food will soon be here." Bella nodded her head quickly and took off to the washroom. Victoria stood to follow her but James shook his head. It would look suspicious; he would just have to trust her._

_Inside the washroom doors, Bella looked in each stall, finding them all empty much to her disappointment. She looked for a window she wouldn't find. There was no way to escape. She ran to the corner – between the sink and the wall- and let her tears fall. Her one chance at escaping and she couldn't do it. _

_When she heard a high pitched voice she ran in a stall and locked the door, then she stayed quiet. _

_"Come on, let's fix you up."_

_"Why do boys have to be so dumb Ali?" A voice like golden wind chimes asked._

_"I don't know Rose, boys will be boys." The high pitched voice spoke again._

_"Royce was so sweet yesterday, and tonight, he's a totally different…do you hear that?"_

_Bella noticed it was her sobs they heard, and she instantly held her breath. _

_A small fist knocked on the stall, causing her to jump. "Um, hello? Is anyone in here?"_

_Bella placed her hand over her mouth when she started to cry again. They were normal people living their everyday lives; they didn't know what went on around them. _

_Slowly Bella turned the lock, opened the door, and stepped out. A pixie-like girl with spiky black hair was standing next to the stalls, while a taller girl with beautiful blond hair that looked like a model was standing by the sinks. _

_They were both staring at her, and the silence was getting awkward. _

_"Um, hi." Bella whispered, "I have to go." She walked quickly towards the door when a hand on her arm stopped her._

_"Wait, were you listening to our conversation?" The blond one asked._

_Bella shook her head quickly, if James found out about this, she can kiss her warm bed good-bye. "No, I-I'm sorry, I was a-about to leave b-but then you came i-in and…" her breath got caught in her throat, and she backed up against the wall. _

_"Hey, hey, hey, don't panic its okay. What's your name?" The short one asked looking at her friend. The blond one came next to her with an apologetic look on her face._

_"My name is…" What should she said, Bella or Lily? "Bella." She finished in a whispered._

_"I'm Alice, and this is Rosalie. Are you okay?" Bella shook her head, no she wasn't okay. "Well, is there anything we can do? Are you here with anyone?"_

_She looked at the two girls who didn't even know her, but they were offering her support. Bella sighed, then stood up and fixed her dress. "No, there's nothing you can do to fix this. No one can fix this mess I'm in. I'm here with my 'parents'. " emphasizing the word parents by using air-quotes, "If anyone ask, you never saw me in your life, and you didn't speak to me either. Please, just go along with it, its better that way, for everyone. Bye." Bella turned and exit the washroom, without hearing their reply. _

_When she returned to their table, the food was already laid out, which caused James to give her a glare. _

_He pointed to the burger and fries in front of her, but not a word was spoken. _

_When Alice and Rosalie exited the washroom, they search the restaurant for the blond hair girl they met. But she was nowhere to be seen. When asked about her at the counter, the waitress pointed to the once occupied table and shrugged. She was certain the family was just there. _

_Outside in the car, Vicki drove while James was seated in the back with Bella. _

_He smacked her across the face, "You little bitch, tell me what you said to them?" Before Bella could explain, James slapped her again. "Answer me!" He yelled in her face. _

_"I'm sorry daddy, they asked me for some lip gloss, I told them I never had any, I swear that's all I said! I swear!" Bella pleaded, but it was no good, James didn't buy it._

_"You're lucky it's you birthday! Tomorrow you're sleeping in the basement for the rest of the week. Then you'll learn to tell me the truth." James produced a needle from nowhere, and stuck it in Bella's arm. She knew better than to fight, it would only make her punishment worst._

_End of flashback_

Sixteen years old - sweet sixteen - every girl dreams of this day; every girl except me.

James and Vicki have been talking about this day for awhile, and I dreaded this day forever.

James told me that when I turn sixteen, there's no more 'mommy and daddy', I will be their house servant, and they will be referred to as 'Master James' and 'Mistress Victoria'.

Every time I slip up, there will be no more 'kiddie punishment', I will be whipped and forced to sleep in the basement with no food or water until I learn my lesson.

I have never slipped up, not in two whole years. They still call me Lily or Lillian, even though I told them countless times my name is Bella. They don't care; they call me slave girl most of the time now anyways, I don't even get a name anymore.

Five o'clock came quickly, too quickly for my liking, and I was pushed out the door by James. There was a blindfold over my eyes and my hands were tied in front of me with soft rope. Six months ago, I tried to escape when we were on our way to do some shopping. It was only me and Victoria, no James, so I took advantage of her weakness.

_Flashback_

_"Lillian!" Victoria shouted. Bella dropped the piece of clothing she was folding and ran towards the voice. When she made it to the kitchen, she was out of breath._

_"Yes Mistress Victoria?" She tried to get her breathing back to normal._

_"Lily, James is gone to town today, so we are going shopping. Go put on some decent clothing, and return back here. You have five minutes, shoo!" Bella didn't let the information sink in until she was running back towards Victoria._

_They were actually leaving the house without James; did Victoria trust her that much? A brilliant plan popped in her head from nowhere. _

_She returned to the kitchen with seconds to spare. And like an obedient puppy, she followed Victoria to the car waiting outside. She made sure Victoria wasn't looking when she made her move. From under her shirt, she quietly pulled out a metal rod she has been carrying since she found it in the basement. But she couldn't use it on James, he was much too strong, she had to use it on Victoria, at just the right moment. _

_Bella moved closer to Victoria, and silently counted to three. _

_On one, she raised the rod over her head; on two, she tightened her grip; on three, she swung with all her might with the metal rod in her hands, and hit Victoria on the head. It knocked her out instantly, and she fell to the ground. Bella kicked her in the side once, to make sure she was unconscious and she was. _

_Little to Bella's knowledge, James arrived home early, and was turning into the driveway just as Bella took off running. James saw a flash of red in the woods next to him, but ignored it. Parking his car, he did a double take of the woman lying on the ground, motionless. _

_"Victoria?" he asked confused. "Vicki?" he tried again. No answer came from her._

_He ran up the steps leading to the house. The door was unlocked, and he wasted no time getting inside. _

_"Lily." He shouted. When she didn't appear after thirty seconds, his face turned bright red, and his fist turned into balls. "Lillian!" He roared again, punching the wall on his was outside._

_"Lillian!" He yelled into the forest. "Lillian Dale, come out right now!" When she didn't show, he took off running towards the red flash he ignored earlier. Lillian was in huge trouble, and tonight she would pay for her mistake._

_Bella kept running, ignoring branches that scratched her arms, and roots that made her trip more than once. She heard James voice, full of fury from somewhere in the forest as he kept calling her name. She would pay for her mistakes tonight, and she would be lucky to live to see tomorrow. _

_When she fell to the ground for the tenth time, she knew she was in trouble. Her leg was twisted in an odd angle and she couldn't move it. 'This is it' she thought, 'this is where I'm going to die.' _

_James stopped and listened to the forest sounds; birds chirping, squirrels scattering, and even the occasional deer. Then he heard it, from somewhere to his right, the unmistakable sound of someone crying. Slowly he walked towards the sound, and the sight he saw before him was priceless. Lily was on the ground with one leg tucked underneath her, and the other lay on a tree stump, looking purple and swollen. _

_"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" James sneered, walking closer to his victim._

_"Get away from me." Bella snapped at him._

_"Or what? What are you going to do to me? Huh? Are you going to knock me out like you did Victoria?"_

_"That wasn't me, she tripped and fell!" Bella lied._

_"Right, so if I throw you over a cliff, can I tell your parents 'she tripped and fell' when I play hero and find your dead body?" Bella's tears came faster, and her sobbing louder. She was going to die, one way or another._

_"I thought so. Get up; you're in for a rough night." James kicked her in the leg, her broken leg, and she screamed in pain._

_"I can't get up, my leg is broken!" she yelled._

_"Sucks to be you!" James laughed. He grabbed her by the waist and threw her over his shoulder, forcing her broken leg to hit James' shoulder._

_He returned to the house five minutes later, "Look at that, home sweet home! It's too bad you were going around in circles." James thought he was talking to the girl over his shoulder, but she had passed out two minutes ago. _

_He threw her on the ratty old mattress he kept in the basement, then locked a cuff around her wrist, and repeated with the other one. He made sure they were both securely attached to the wall before he went to find a first aid kid. _

_After bandaging up her broken leg, -she was no good with a broken leg when there was house work to be done- he walked up the basement steps, locking the door behind him. He had a wife to wake up, and there was going to be hell when she did. _

_End of flashback_

I learned my lesson that night, and every night for the week following the incident. Now, every time we leave the house, for whatever reason, James makes sure I'm secured tightly, and I'm usually wearing a dress with no bra or panties. 'Nowhere to hid weapons', he told me.

And that brings us back to the car, heading to the Cullen house for Edward's nineteenth birthday. I still have no idea why I'm going, but at least it's nice to get out of the house.

Some time later, the car came to a stop. But James or Victoria never removed my bindings or blindfold, something wasn't right.

"Come on slave, let's get you inside." James laughed as he pulled me from the car. I only took two steps when I tripped. Luckily before I landed face first on the ground, James' hand grabbed my arm.

"It's a shame she's leaving us, but one thing I won't miss is her clumsiness." 'Wait leaving? Leaving where?' Questions swirled around my head, but I didn't dare ask them.

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><p><strong>AN: And that's chapter 1. I hope it's good enough for a review, or 2, or 3 :) **

**Remember 10 reviews, and I'll post the next chapter tomorrow. **

**Maddiee :)**


	3. Learning the Rules

**Disclaimer: I do not own twilight. All rights belong to SM.**

**Major thanks to my beta Princess2000204 :)**

**Sorry I took so long to update. Life got in the way! But chapter 3 is almost done, and then I'm sending it straight to my Beta :)**

**Enjoy!**

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><p>We stopped a few minutes later, and James knocked on the door. When it swung open, a person with a honey voice spoke, "Ah, James, Victoria, what a pleasure. I see you brought her, right this way please." James grabbed me by the waist as he started walking again.<p>

"Thank you for inviting us Dr. Cullen. I'm sure your son will love our gift."

Dr. Cullen chuckled, "I'm sure he will too James. Now let's go in my office, and get her checked out, I took the liberty of setting up a place for me to do so."

Another door was opened, but James never moved from his place. "I'll be one moment Dr. Cullen."

My blindfold was pulled off, and as quick as I opened my eyes, I closed them again from the bright light. Slowly, I opened them back up, adjusting to the light.

"Now you listen here you little brat, I just gave you away as a birthday present to Dr. Cullen's son,"

'_Ah so that's why I came.'_

"And you better listen to every word he's says, do you understand?" I nodded my head.

His grip on my arm tightens, "I said, do you understand?"

"Yes master." I squeaked out from pain.

"Let's go." He opened the wooden door, and plastered a fake smile on his face.

"Okay little girl, jump-" he paused when he saw my tied hands, "James, could you help her on the bed please?" James did as he was asked, and lifted me on the make-shift bed.

"Now, I'll give you a chance to answer this yourself, are you a virgin?" The question took me by surprise, but I slowly nodded my head.

"Okay, then please lie back." I did as he asked.

"Wait, please, don't do this. Please!" I begged. Dr. Cullen looked at me confused.

"Don't worry sweetheart, it's only a precaution. Won't hurt one bit, but you must relax." I nodded, and closed my eyes. I knew James would be furious that I spoke without permission.

I shut everyone out after that, because I didn't want to know what he was going to do next.

When I heard James voice, I cautiously open my eyes. Somehow my dress was fixed back over my knees again, so that meant I was finish.

"Lily, sit up on the bed." I obeyed James' order.

"I'll get Emmett to come fetch her; you are free to go enjoy the party." Dr. Cullen told James and Victoria. James gave me one last look, before he turned and they both exit.

I let out a shaky breath when the door closed again. Now I was trapped in the room with Dr. Cullen, but I could handle one person.

"Now, Lily-" Dr. Cullen started.

"Bella, my name is Bella." I interrupted.

"But James, you know what, I really don't care. When Emmett comes to get you, you will listen to him, understand? My son, Edward, he's not a cruel man, none of us is, but you are below us, and are expected to follow orders."

When a loud knock echoed the room, my heart began to race.

"Come in Emmett." The door opened revealing a large man with dark curly hair.

"I knew James and Victoria would do this to her dad, why did you let them?" He looked mean, but his voice was full of concern.

"Bring her to Edward's room, set her up, and leave." Dr. Cullen said ignoring his son's question. Emmett nodded and walked towards me. I scooted back unconsciously as he came closer. He sighed but grabbed my arm and placed me on the floor in front of him.

"Walk." He commanded, and once again, I obeyed.

When we were a fair distance away from the room we exited from, Emmett pulled me into another room, and closed and locked the door. Now I was getting scared.

"No, please, don't be afraid of me. I'm one of the nicer ones here, I promise. Jasper is too, it's my youngest brother Edward you have to be careful around." I stared at him confused.

"Wh-who's Edward?" I asked quietly in fear of getting punished for speaking without permission.

"The birthday boy and the one who owns you. I'm really sorry we had to meet like this, you seem like a really nice girl, and I wish we could have met on better terms. I'm sorry about my father too. He's been different since his father passed away." Emmett sat on the king-sized bed in the middle of the room. It had a beautiful gold theme to it, and the room was painted blue. It looked very elegant.

"What did your dad mean when he said 'set her up'?" I asked quietly.

"Yeah about that…" he trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck, "Edward owns you now, you're basically his slave, he meant I had to tie you to the wall. I'm really sorry!"

My eyes widened in shock, quickly looking around the room for an escape.

Before Emmett had a chance to grab me, I ran towards a door on the far wall of the room. I let out a trapped breath when I realized it was a bathroom, and quickly shutting and locking the door.

If 'Edward' wants me, then he'll have to break the door down to get me. I sat on the toilet seat with my legs against my chest. Looking around I noticed the bathroom was much like the bedroom; spacious, and designed with a blue and gold theme. I closed my eyes as I remember my parent's faces once more. I've been doing that a lot lately, because I want to remember what they look like. Sure my three-year-old memory was a bit fuzzy, but I can remember my mother's gentle voice, and my father's wide grin.

I heard Emmett's voice through the door, but he wasn't talking to me.

"Okay I'm here, what's the big surprise?" A velvet voice asked, was _he _'Edward'?

"Oh, you know, here or there, or in the bathroom." Emmett said, laughing. The caring Emmett I met before was gone, and it was replaced with a loud obnoxious Emmett. Tears started to fall, and I let them.

A hand jiggled the doorknob. "It's locked Emmett. Give me the keys; I have better things to be at than up here fooling around with you!"

"I don't have the keys Edward!"

"Then who locked the door?" Edward asked with an annoyed voice.

"Your present."

"My present locked the door?"

"Yes."

"Is my present alive?"

"Yes."

"Is my present, oh I don't know, _human_?"

"Yes."

"Emmett!" he yelled, "Who the hell gave me a _human_ for my birthday?" I heard a slap and a quiet 'ow'.

"It wasn't me; I think it was Jimmy, or John, or -"

"James?"

"Yes! Wait, how did you know his name?"

"He always gives us humans Emmett, who do you think gave you Rose? Or Jasper, Alice? He wants to get on dad's good side."

Rose, Alice, the names sounded so familiar, but I couldn't understand why.

"Oh. She's in the bathroom, have fun!" Emmett's voice trailed off as he left the room.

"Little girl, I know you're in there, please make this easier on all of us and come out yourself." Edward asked in a sweet voice. I wouldn't fall for it, it was the same 'I-want-something-now' voice James used on me, and I wasn't falling for it again.

"I'm getting upset, and you _do not_ want to see me upset." He threatened, but I never moved a muscle. After a few minutes, I heard him sigh, "Fine, I wished it never had to come to this."

The door knob twisted slightly, but instead of moving back and forth as if it were locked, it twisted right around with a loud _snap_, causing me to jump and run behind the shower curtain.

Edward pushed the door open and dropped the broken door knob on the floor.

Without wasting any time, he ran towards the shower, threw open the curtain, and grabbed me forcefully by the back of my neck.

I let out a painful squeak, but other than that, kept quiet. He dragged me straight to his king size bed in the middle of the room, and threw me on it face first. I tried to scramble up, but he grabbed my neck again, and pushed me down.

"You could have been sleeping in this bed tonight, would you have enjoyed that? A soft, comfy bed, but instead you had to try and be a rebel, and ignore me." He hissed close to my ear, causing me to flinch. "I do not tolerate disobedience, so I suggest you lose the attitude right now." He let go of my neck and walked towards a large window on the wall I was facing.

I took in his appearance as he stood there looking out the window. He looked like a god! His face, body, legs, hands, feet, everything, was perfect. And his hair, perfect bronze like color, and messy, but a good messy.

But what _is_ he? He's defiantly not human, and vampires don't exist. But I've just been giving to someone as a birthday present, so nothing would surprise me right now. And he _broke_ the doorknob; no human would be able to do _that_.

"What are you?" I heard the words pass my lips before I could stop them. When he didn't turn around, I thought he hadn't heard me. I was wrong. About three minutes passed before he turned to face me, and when he did, his eyes were black. Before I could blink he was in front of me, and a tight grip on my arm.

"Learn your place little girl, did my father or brother tell you anything?" He snarled.

I quickly shook my head, whimpering, "No."

He pulled me from the bed, and towards his bedroom door. We walked down a hallway and two flights of stairs before we came to a stop in front of a large oak door. He never knocked, just twisted the knob and walked right in, pushing me down on a black leather couch. Dr. Cullen looked at him with his eyebrows raised.

"Trouble with your present, son?" He asked in an amused tone.

"Someone never taught her the rules, and you should do it before I lose my temper. I don't want to break her the first night." Edward growled as he walked back out of the room, leaving Carlisle and I in the room together, alone.

Dr. Cullen chuckled, and sat back in his chair with his hands folded behind his neck,

"You're the first person to ever give my son a run for his money, so for that, I congratulate you. He's going to have fun with you." He winked before sitting back up straight and giving me a serious look. He folded his hands on the desk in front of him.

"Now to go over the rules. Rule one; don't speak unless spoken to, simple. Rule two; Edward is your master, you will treat him with respect, as everyone else in this house. Rule three; you must remain at Edward's side the entire time. Finally, rule four; you will call Edward 'Master Cullen'. This also includes Emmett, Jasper and I. My wife, Esme, Jasper's wife, Alice, and Emmett's wife, Rosalie, are to be called 'Mistress Cullen', unless otherwise told. Those are the household rules, and you must obey them at all time. My son has rules of his own, and he will explain these when he gets back, do I make myself clear?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Crystal." I replied crossing my arms.

"You better watch that smart mouth of yours too! I'll let that one slide, but the next time, I won't be so understanding got it?" I nodded, afraid as what would happen if I spoke.

"Good, I'll send someone to fetch Edward, and you can return to his room when he arrives. Until then, not a word." He ordered, and then got out of his chair to walk towards a button on the wall.

The question I asked earlier was on the tip of my tongue again.

Dr. Cullen pressed the button and a high pitch voice replied almost instantly.

_"Good morning Mr. Cullen, how can I help you today?" _

"Could you locate my youngest son please, and tell him to report to my office."

_"Of course, Mr. Cullen. I'll do that right away."_

"Thanks, Gianna."

Then he returned to the chair behind his desk. A few minutes later, there was a knock on the door. Dr. Cullen, or Mr. Cullen, replied with, "Come in." And the door opened. I took my chances and looked towards the person who opened the door, and when I did, my mouth dropped, and my eyes widened. Edward was standing in the doorway with dark red all over his face and shirt. And from the red stains on his light blue shirt, I could tell it wasn't jam or ketchup.

"Edward," Carlisle hissed. "Next time, please be more careful!"

Edward looked down and shrugged, "Sorry, I was thirsty." He then sat down next to me on the couch. I moved as far away from him as possible before I hit the arm with my side, but the smell of the red on his shirt hit me like a wrecking ball. It was a familiar rusty smell I'd know anywhere; blood. Before I could ask questions, my world started to spin, and I felt my body fall towards the floor, but I never felt the impact.

"Dad, what's wrong with her?" I heard Edward ask.

"I don't know, people don't usually faint for no reason." Dr. Cullen yelled back.

"You're the doctor!"

"And you're the over-protective owner who won't let me get near her without growling!"

"I feel protective over her dad, I can't explain it, and I've never felt it before, until I met her. And you know what? I don't even know her name."

"James and Victoria called her Lillian, but she told me after her name was Bella."

"That means beautiful, and it fits her."

"Are you falling in love with a _human_?"

"Ha, father, you make me laugh." Edward chimed.

'_How did I hear their whole conversation when I fainted? Maybe I dreamt it, yeah, that's it, and it was all a dream.'_

When I finally got my eyes open and adjusted to the light, I was met with to two pairs of golden ones staring down at me.

"Hi?" I asked confused at why Dr. Cullen and Edward were staring at me like I had three heads. I was leaning against Edward's chest, and to be honest, it was nice, I actually liked it.

'_WHAT? You are losing your mind. Completely crazy, utterly insane.' _My reasonable side screamed.

'_He is kinda cute, and his chest is prefect.' _My other side argued.

Edward must have sensed my discomfort because one second I was in his arms, the next on I was on the other side of the couch. He still had blood all over his face and shirt, and noticing this, I jumped off the couch and ran behind Dr. Cullen's desk, getting as far away from the smell as possible.

"What the hell do you think you are doing?" Edward snarled while staring me directly in the eye. "Get over here right now, or you will regret it!"

I was feeling brave, so I spoke with as much courage as possible, "No, not until you remove that smell. What are you? A human would _not_ have _blood_ all over their face and shirt."

"NO!" Edward yelled suddenly, causing me to jump. He was glaring at Carlisle now with a hard expression. "I don't care, I'm not doing it."

'_What is he talking about?'_

Carlisle nodded his head before focusing on me, "You might want to take a seat for this ... What is your name?"

Should I tell him my real name, or should I go by the name James and Victoria gave me. I didn't ponder it long because before I knew it my lips were moving, "Isabella, but everyone calls me Bella."

Dr. Cullen nodded and I sat on the floor, away from Edward.

"Now," he began, "as you may have observed, Edward and I are not human, neither are my other two sons, or my wife."

"Then, wh-what are y-you?" I stuttered, afraid of the answer.

"Vampires." Dr. Cullen said casually.

"Vampires, ha, yeah right. Okay, jokes on me, now really, what are you?" I joked.

"I told you she wouldn't listen to us." Edward said, shaking his head.

"Isabella, I know you think vampires don't exist, but trust me when I say that I'm telling the truth. We don't drink human blood, because we have far too many in the house for help, so instead we drink animal blood." Dr. Cullen explained while I looked at him in disbelief.

I started laughing, there's no such thing as _vampires_.

"Okay, but I blaming you if she has a heart attack." Edward said looking at his father. It's like they are having a silent conversation.

Before I could blink, Edward was in front of me; he grabbed me in his arms and ran towards the door. I only had a chance to blink once before I realized we were in the kitchen, then Dr. Cullen's office, the living room, the office, outside, and back to the office, where he placed me back in the same position I was just a few minutes ago, or was it seconds?

I sat there stunned.

"We're extremely fast and strong, have cold skin, and we don't sleep or eat. We drink the blood of animals, and a pathetic human is no match for us. Now do you believe us Isabella?" Dr. Cullen asked.

I nodded, _vampires don't exist, vampires don't exist, vampires don't exist._ My reasonable side chanted.

"I'm going back to my party dad, if you need me; you know where I'm at." Edward said to his father as he walked towards me.

I pushed my body closer to the wall, if that was even possible, but it did no good as Edward grabbed me by my arm and pulled me over his shoulder. I let out a surprised squeak as he ran out the door and into his room at an inhuman speed.

He threw me on the bed, and then walked to -what I assumed was- the closet. He grabbed something and threw it at me, "Get dressed." He growled, and disappeared into the bathroom, which had a new doorknob.

I studied the piece of material he gave me. It was a tiny black dress with no straps. There was no way I was putting _that_ on. It would never fit me anyways. I folded the dress neatly and placed it on the bed.

A few minutes passed and Edward was still in the bathroom. I eyed the bedroom door skeptically, debating whether or not I should try the door to see if it was locked.

With my eyes on the bathroom door the entire time, I tip-toed towards my freedom, my heart pounding loudly in my chest the entire time.

When I reached the door, I removed my eyes from the bathroom and focused on the knob. My hand grasped it, and turned. I held my breath as I kept turning it, the door is unlocked.

I yanked the door opened quickly, but before I had a chance to move a muscle, the door slammed shut. I glanced above my head only to see a strong pale hand pressed against the door. In a second I was turned around to face him, while being pressed against the door. My breathing was coming out in quick pants as I glanced at his face.

He was furious.

"What did I tell you about escaping? You _really don't_ want to be punished on the first day here, because believe me when I say that I don't care for humans well being. They are here to work, or in your case, to keep me happy. And since I found out about you, you have done nothing but upset me. Now, you are going to get dressed, as we are going to go to my party, and I _will_ have a good time. I suggest you keep your mouth shut, and stay by my side the entire time, because there are vampires down stairs who wouldn't mind a little _snack_." The way he said 'snack' made my body shiver.

"You. Will. Obey. Do you understand?" He said harshly while gripping the roots of my hair and pulling downwards. I weakly nodded the best I could without causing myself more pain than necessary. "Say it." He snarled.

"Yes." I screamed.

"Yes, _what?_"

"Yes, I understand!" I whimpered in pain as his grip tightened.

"You will call me 'Master' eventually, but I guess that'll have to do for now." He releases the death grip on my hair, and walked towards the bed. I stayed by the door, but didn't dare open it.

He grabbed the dress and walked back towards me. "Get dress." He said throwing the dress at me. Then he turned around to face the window.

I stared at the back of his head in disbelief. Did he honestly think I was going to bow at his feet? If he did, he should think again, because I am _not _going to play his little game.

"Isabella, I suggest you get dressed before I do it myself." He said calmly without turning around. It didn't take long for that dress to go over my head and fit snuggly on my body. Although I would never admit it to _him_, it is a nice dress, and it does fit my body perfectly.

Edward quickly turned around, and was in front of me in a second. "Come on." He growled, grabbing my arm, and pulling me towards the door. I never said a word and although my body wanted to fight, I followed obediently.

A few minutes passed, and before I knew it, I was standing of front of yet another large door. Two tall men on either side acknowledge Edward right away, and instantly opened the doors.

Inside was like a large ballroom. There were balloons, streamers, 'Happy Birthday' signs, and food and drink everywhere. There were a bunch of tables spread out around the room, with people silently standing behind their chairs, waiting to be seated.

As soon as Edward walked in Dr. Cullen and a caramel hair woman was by his side, hugging and kissing him, and wishing him 'Happy birthday'. While Edward was kept busy, I took the chance to scan the room. Everyone was wearing a smile, and chatting amongst themselves, oblivious to those around them, and especially to me.

I jumped a little when I felt Edward pull my arm towards the front of the room. There was a large table on top of two steps; it was overlooking the whole ballroom, so it was obviously for important people; namely Edward and his family. Edward took a seat in the middle, where there was a dozen floating 'Happy Birthday' balloons tied to the chair, and he pushed me down on the floor next to his chair.

He looked at me long and hard before speaking in a hushed tone.

"You better listen, and listen well, this is your first and final test, screw this up, and you will _not _get another chance. Understand?" I quickly nodded and sighed in relief when he looked away.

Edward's parents took a seat on either side of him. My heart rate began to quicken when I saw Emmett walk in the room with a gorgeous blonde on his arm. _'Will he still be angry at me for running in the bathroom? Will he lash out at me, especially in front of Edward and his guests?' _Not wanting to find out, I kept my head down and continued to play with my nails.

It wasn't until I heard two voices did I look up again.

"Edward!" a high-pitch voice squealed, "Happy birthday!" A short pixie-like girl with cropped black hair came running towards Edward. He quickly jumped off his chair and turned to face her.

"Alice." He smiled. "Where you get your energy I'll never know, but thank you."

"You're welcome, and just because I have more 'energy' than you does not mean you can make fun." She pouted as she crossed her arms.

She was about to speak with the blonde I saw with Emmett earlier walked towards them.

"Alice, leave him alone, happy birthday." She smiled as she kissed him on his cheek.

"Thank-you, Rose." He smiled, at her.

Those names, 'Rose', 'Alice', they…they sound so familiar, but _where _did I hear them, and it couldn't have been recently, because I would remember better.

I racked my brain for information I couldn't find, and was about to give up when I heard Alice speak again, only when I looked up did I notice she was staring at _me_ with a shock expression.

"Who are _you_?"

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><p><strong>- 12 pages later... should I hide now?<strong>

**Let me know what you think, and a preview of chapter 3 is in your future :)**

**Maddie xo**


	4. Forever Mine

**A/N: Okay, I know I've been MIA for a while but university and my new story, Forgotten Memories, has completely taken over me life. **

__**So, since I knew this chapter was almost done, when I returned from the movies, (The Hunger Games; totally recommend it, Amazing movie!) I finished the chapter! **

**I have a beta for my other story, but I never bothered to send her this chapter because Chapter 13 of Forgotten Memories is currently 12,500+ words long, I figured she had enough of work ahead of her with that. I read it over a few times myself, so I'm sorry if there are any mistakes. **

**I hope my sneak peeks worked and everyone who reviewed the previous chapter (from August, 2011, I know, I'm horrible) got theirs! **

**Now, without further ado, here's the chapter you have all been waiting for. :)**

* * *

><p><em>Previously: <em>

"_Who are _you_?_"

__Chapter 4: Forever Mine

"Alice," Dr. Cullen interrupted before anyone could speak. "I'll explain later. The dinner is starting, have a seat."

Alice was about to argue, but when she saw the look Edward was giving her, she quickly sat down and didn't speak a word.

When the food finally arrived, Edward, along with the rest of the Cullens, cleaned their plates. Well, to the human guests, it looked like they ate every bite. In reality, every fork full of food would be place on a napkin in their laps.

Several times my stomach growled. But Edward didn't hear it, or just ignored it. By the time dessert arrived, I was starving, and the sounds coming from my empty stomach proved it.

Edward glanced down at me before picking up a piece of fruit with his fingers and holding it in front of my mouth. Every time I would lift my hand to take it, he'd shake his head, and move his fingers and food away from my face.

By the tenth time, I realized what he wanted me to do. I turned my head, and wrapped my arms around my stomach, willing the hunger to go away.

Several times that night I felt eyes on me, and they didn't belong to Edward. Those bright blue eyes belonged to Alice.

But every time I would catch her staring, she'd look away and talk to the blonde beside her.

Then I found myself looking down at my hands, staring intently at the dirt under my nails. I probably smelt horrible too, but honestly, I didn't care at this point.

Dinner passed uneventful, and I was thankful for that. When everyone was finished their meals, Edward stood from his seat, grabbing my hand, and pulling me up in the process. I thought he was going to take me back to his room, but instead he led me to another door.

On the other side of the door, was a grand ballroom. It had lots of space for dancing, with a bar in one corner, and chairs and tables off to the side. He proceeded to pull me towards the far corner of the room, and then pushed me in one of the chairs.

"You will stay here if you know what's good for you. I'll be socializing most of the night, and won't have time to look after a human. My family will be sitting at the same table; I suggest you give them a good first impression." He smirked and walked away.

By the time I looked up, he was nowhere to be found, but instead I caught myself staring at a room full of people, all dancing and singing to the loud music. _How did I miss that?_

Not long after, Alice and the blonde arrived at the table and took their seats.

"Hi, I'm Alice." She yelled over the music. "This is my husband, Jasper. " She smiled at the man sitting next to her.

"Hi." I whispered, before looking down at my hands in my lap.

"There's no need to be shy." Dr. Cullen said as he walked towards the table and stood next to me. "Go have fun, dance, meet people." I just shook my head. If I disobeyed, Edward would get mad. However, the more I thought about it, the more I liked the idea of 'walking around'.

I met Dr. Cullen's gaze again, and this time I whispered, "Okay," then left my chair to walk around.

It took me awhile, but eventually I found the kitchen. Seeing no one was present, I quietly walked in and studied my surroundings. I needed food and water if I was going to escape and survive for any amount of time. With that thought in mind, I wasted no time gathering the items, and placing them in a bag I found.

I left the kitchen in a hurry, not watching where I was going, and hit a solid object. When I looked up my eyes widened in fear.

There stood Edward sneering down at me.

"Hello Isabella."

I'm not sure how I did it, but I somehow got around him and quickly found my way back to the ballroom, getting lost in the sea of people.

With the bag in hand, I made my way to the other side of the room to a large door. Praying the gods were on my side tonight, I tried the knob, and almost did a happy dance when it turned.

I took a deep breath then threw it open, jumping when it closed in my face.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." A voice warned as I stood facing the door, my heart racing a mile a minute. The voice belonged to a male –that much I was certain about- and it had a strong southern accent to it.

"Jasper, thank you, you may go now." That voice I'd know anywhere - Edward.

He slowly walked towards me, each step he took my heart beat increased. By the time he stopped, I could feel his hot breath on my neck, making my hairs stand on end.

"Isabella," he signed, "where exactly were you going to go?" I flinched as his hand reached around me, landing on the door knob. When he opened it, I frowned, tears forming in my eyes. In front of us, was a storage closet. It was filled with chairs and tables.

"You had nowhere to go Isabella, so stop trying, because you're never leaving." He grabbed my arm and pulled me towards the other side of the room.

"Please stop, you're hurting me." I whimpered as his grip became tighter. Memories of James' strong grip surrounded me, and before I knew it, I was being lifted into someone's arms.

_Flashback_

"_LILLIAN!" James yelled from the kitchen. Bella quickly jumped from her bed and ran down stairs towards his voice. _

"_Y-yes ma-master?" She stuttered. _

"_I thought I ordered you to finish your chores before you freshened up?" James asked calmly._

"_I-I did ma-master."_

"_Look at this house, it's a mess! If you can't clean up properly like we taught you then you won't clean at all. You'll learn your lesson after this." He grabbed me by the arm pulling me towards the front door. She thought he was going to let her go; fat chance of that! He continued to pull her behind the house to the shed. At least it looked like a shed form the outside. _

_He threw open the door and continue to pull Bella inside and down many stairs. Once they reached the bottom she was crying and screaming for forgiveness. He threw her on the small bed and jumped on top of her before she had a chance to escape. _

_He quickly locked her hands and feet in place; even strapping down her waist, knees and neck so she couldn't move an inch. Bella thought he was going to leave her here to die; instead he got off the bed and walked over to the shelf along the wall. He grabbed a few items and returned to where she was anchored to the bed. _

"_You'll be begging to clean after this Lily-pad." He said mocking the name Victoria had called her as a child. _

_Bella shook her head as much as she could as he came closer with some kind of ball object. It was no good because he forced it in her mouth anyways. He slapped her cheek lightly and walked out of the room, leaving her in the dark. _

_Bella cried herself to sleep that night and every other night she spent down here. She knew it was dinner time when James would come down the stairs with a plate in his hand. The first day Bella saw food she almost jumped off the bed. _

_He would place a collar around her neck before unstrapping her from the bed. Bella thought she would be able to eat her food with a fork like a real person but her lovely master had other plans for her. He would take the food and break it into little crumbs then scatter it around the floor. _

_Then after attaching a collar around Bella's neck with a leash for his hand he would force her on her hands and knees telling her it's time to eat. Every time she'd do something 'wrong' he would kick her in the ribs or –with a hard wooden item- slap her three times on my bottom, each time would be harder and louder than the last. _

_It wasn't much of a meal but it filled Bella's stomach and kept her alive. By the third day her bladder was protesting. Bella had learned the hard way that she wasn't allowed to speak at all while she was down here, so as he pushed her to the floor to eat she dinner she continued to whine. _

"_What?" He finally spat out. _

_Bella gave him the best sad puppy face she could because that's what she felt like right now; a puppy. _

_He grabbed her by the back of my neck and pulled her to stand. "Speak, what the hell are you whining about?"_

"_Please master, may I use the bathroom?" Bella pleaded. He dropped her to the floor forcing her to bite her lip to keep from crying out and pulled her towards the stairs. When Bella stood to walk up the stairs he glared at her and she felt back to my knees again. _

_Once outside he pulled Bella behind the shed, he hooked her leash onto the roof –where she couldn't reach even if she tried- and walked back towards the house. _

_Bella was so confused; 'did he want me to use the bathroom outside like a dog too?' _

_She forced herself to use the washroom, even though it meant degrading her of the little dignity she had left. After some time James returned and forced her back down in the little hole again. _

_A week passed and he finally pulled Bella from the hole and into the house. Victoria wrinkled her perfect nose at the smell coming from Bella as James pulled her –on her hands and knees- towards the bathroom. Once there he told her to strip and get in the bath filled with water. When Bella went to stand, she couldn't do it. Being forced to crawl on her heads and knees for a week had made her legs weak. She cried as she forced herself to sit on the tub. _

_Bella never had a punishment like that again because she made sure the house was spotless at all times, even if it meant cleaning after a wild party at five am in the morning!_

_End of Flashback_

"Jesus Isabella, you act like I'm carrying you to the slaughter. Calm down slave." That brought me back to reality. I was in Edward's arms as he carried me up a set of stairs. He opened a door with one hands and threw me on the bed. I quickly came to my senses and crawled to the corner, afraid of what he was going to go to me.

"Wh-what are y-you go-going to d-do?" I stuttered out as I stayed in my corner, not moving an inch.

"You were about to have a panic attack and besides I can't trust you to be downstairs where you can escape. You are after all, my birthday present to do with as I please." He smirked as I felt the tears coming.

"I'm going back to my party." He told me as he walked closer towards me. I jumped when he grabbed my wrist and pulled it towards him. He then grabbed a cuff with had a length of chain attached to it and hooked it on my arm. The chain was attached to the middle of the floor under his bed. "This will let you go to the bathroom and lie on your bed but _don't_ try to escape. I will know if you try something and the end result won't be pretty if I have to punish you. Like I said, I have no pity for a mere human." With that he turned and exited the room, locking the door from the outside.

I sat on the blankets in the corner and cried for some time. I finally pushed myself off the floor and began to explore the room. There wasn't much I could use to kill a vampire but I could at least get free of this cuff. I searched for an hour, thankful there was a clock on the nightstand so I could tell the time, but couldn't find anything that would help me get free.

I had just entered the bathroom when the bedroom door swung open. I heard two voices and I quickly moved closer to get a better listen. They wouldn't see the length of chain on the floor since it was under a thick rug and nearly blended into the carpet.

"Tanya, get out of my room."

"But Eddie, I know you want me just like I want you."

Eddie –who I assumed was also Edward- growled and I heard a loud bang, "Get. Out." There was a slap followed by a door slamming.

I ran towards the shower as the door swung open. Leaning against the wall I tried to regulate my breath.

"Slave." It wasn't a question. He knew I was hiding. "Isabella." I saw the shadow of his figure grow bigger with each step closer to the bathtub.

Throwing open the curtain he grabbed me by the arm. He walked as a human pace as he pulled me towards the bedroom, throwing me on the bed. I cowered against the wall, feeling my body shake.

James and Victoria were cruel, but they had never done anything sexual. They would give me a 'good-night kiss' as a child, but once I reached the age of eleven they stopped. I was afraid of Edward, and the glow in his eyes did nothing to help my fear.

He was pacing the length of the bed, running his fingers through his hair, almost as if he was nervous or anxious. I didn't speak, but I did feel myself drifting off to sleep.

"Isabella. Isabella, wake up." I quickly jumped awake and looked at the clock. The glowing green numbers showed me I was late, very late. It was ten am, and James and Victoria had a strict rule about having breakfast on the table at eight am every morning. To cook their ridiculous meal plan, I need to wake at six am, shower, dress and start cooking right away.

I couldn't even begin to think about the punishment I would receive for a late breakfast. _I am dead, so dead!_

It was only when I ran to the door that I realized I wasn't in my small dirty room. I was in a large room, with an ensuite and large closet. I looked around so more, noticing a large bed with Edward lid on it, a large desk, scattered with papers, and a large win – wait a minute. I quickly did a double take to the person lid on the bed. Edward?

Then I remembered yesterday's events, James had given me away to Edward Cullen as a birthday gift. He eyes locked with mine, and I quickly looked down, I didn't have the right to look him in the eye since I was below him. My confidence from last night had faded and I was the weak little girl James had raised me to be.

"I'm sorry sir." I said in a whispered. He never spoke and I began to wonder if he would kill me now. He is a _vampire_.

I dropped to my knees, accepting my punishment, but again he didn't make a move to get off the bed.

My heart pounded against my chest when I heard a knock on the door. Edward called a simple 'come in' and it slowly opened. I shifted closer to the bed so the door wouldn't hit me.

"Hello Mr. Cullen, I just came to see how you are doing with my little Isabella. Is she behaving? I could take her for some more training." James, I would know that voice anywhere.

Edward finally made a move to get off the bed, "That won't be necessary. She is perfect, and if she has any flaws I'm sure I could straighten them out." He patted my head as if I were a dog. In reality, I probably was nothing more than a pet to him.

"Isabella, please go to the washroom and freshen up while I speak with James." Edward commended in a cold voice then reached down to remove the cuff from my wrist.

I forced my body to not flinch as his tone, and with a quick 'yes sir' I rapidly walked to the ensuite and slid down against the door.

I didn't mean to listen to their conversation, but they were right outside the door so it was hard to ignore what they were saying.

"_She seems to be adapting well."_ James said.

"_Yes, she is well behaved, you did great training her. My father always said it is always good to train them at a young age."_ Edward replied.

"_I know you consider her a pet, so I picked up your request. Her leash and matching collar is in the box, and everything else is in the bag."_ I heard rustling of a bag.

"_Thank you James, I appreciate it. I take it that you have introduced her to the pet lifestyle?"_ _Pet lifestyle? Was that why he had treated me like a dog for my punishment? _

"_Yes, like I said, she shouldn't be a problem. We've been training her since she was three."_ Now it made sense to me as to why James and Victoria made me act like a dog when I was younger. I assumed they thought all children went through a 'dog phase', but personally I thought it was weird.

"_Your service has been appreciated. You are dismissed."_ I didn't hear James reply so I quickly moved from the door and went to start the water. The door swung open and a furious Edward glared at me. I took one step backwards towards the wall, and he moved closer to me, we repeated the action until my back was flat against the wall and his face was inches from mine.

"I know you were listening. You heard every word that was said. If you had eavesdropped while with James, how bad would your punishment be?" I flinched from the memory but didn't speak. He laughed, "I thought so."

"Please don't hurt me." I whispered my voice barely audible.

He looked at me long and hard before storming out of the bathroom. I waited a few minutes to see if he would come back, then I tip-toed towards the bathroom door. Edward was pacing his bedroom, furiously pulling at his hair. When he stopped and stared at me, I felt like a deer caught in headlight.

"Go freshen up. This will be your last chance. Your behaviour is unacceptable and you _will_ be punished. I will not let a mere _human_ make me, Edward Cullen, look weak. Understand?" I slowly nodded.

"I'm so-"

"_Don't_. Don't you dare say you're _sorry_."

I nodded slowly and was about to close the bathroom door when his hand gripped it. "Closed doors are a privilege. If you want to disobey then I'll train you like every other human in this house. You need to learn your place Isabella. You're a human; a pathetic little _human_." He smirked and removed his hand from the door. "Go shower. Ten minutes."

When he walked towards the bed, I shut and locked the door as quickly as I could. _What the hell is going on?_ I knew James and Victoria kept me away from the outside world, but I didn't know vampires had taken over the human race.

I jumped a little when Edward started knocking loudly on the bathroom room. _"Isabella, you have ten seconds to open this door. Every time you disobey me, your punishment is going to get worst."_

_Shit! _I frantically looked around the bathroom for an escaped but there were no windows, and only one door which Edward was currently standing outside of.

"_Ten…"_

_Oh god._

"_Nine…"_

_No, no, no, no._

"_Eight…"_

I gripped my hair as I looked for something to fight him with. I'm not sure if everything I read in books about killing a vampire was true, but anything is worth a shot.

"_Seven…"_

"_Six…"_

I searched through the vanity for anything to kill, or at least distract him with, but came up empty handed.

"_Five…"_

My eyes flicked in every direction, and that's when I saw it.

"_Four…"_

A vent in the ceiling! I stepped on the toilet cover and then the sink. There were shelves on the wall; I knew they weren't strong, but I needed more height to reach the vent.

"_Three…"_

I grabbed the hair brush I found under the sink and hit the vent with all my strength; to my surprise, it popped up.

"_Two…"_

I slowly stood on my toes and smiled when I felt my hands grab the ledge. With all my remaining strength, I pulled my body up into the vent.

"_One…"_

I replaced the vent back in the ceiling just as he broke the door knob and burst into the bathroom.

"Isabella, I know you're in here, come out and I'll lessen your punishment." His eyes searched the bathroom, checking all the hiding places where someone as small as me could possibly fit.

He growled when he couldn't find me, swiping his hand out and knocking everything off the shelves.

He stormed out of the bathroom and I jumped when I heard the bedroom door slam shut.

I let out a sigh of relief and looked around the small area in which I was hiding. It wasn't a bit space, but with someone my size it was easy to crawl around. I noticed there were two possible paths in which I could take, and I suddenly felt like Alice from _Alice in Wonderland._ Which path will lead me to freedom?

I studied the left and right vent before finally deciding on the right which had more light. I carefully crawled over the bathroom vent and began my journey. After a few minutes of crawling I heard voices.

"_What do you mean 'she disappeared'?" _That sounded like the small pixie girl I seen at dinner.

"_What the fuck do you think I mean Alice? She was in the bathroom, I opened the door, and now she's gone." _Edward hissed.

"_She told you she didn't see anything Edward. Stop yelling at her." _That sounded like the blonde who was sitting next to Alice.

"_Did you check everywhere; the closet, under the sink, the ceiling? She's a tiny girl Edward; she can fit into small places!" _Alice sighed.

"_The ceiling? Why would she…" _He trailed off for a second until he shouted_, 'FUCK!_' and left the room.

"_The poor girl, I hate that she has to deal with Edward's temper." _ I stopped just to the left of the vent and I peered down to watch the vampires. Alice had her head on the blonde's chest and he had his arms wrapped around her waist. She looked so tiny in his arms. _"Jazz, do you think she's okay?"_

"_Of course darling, she'll be fine. Don't beat yourself up over this." _He kissed her forehead and they were about to leave the room when Edward stormed back in.

"_Alice, can you crawl through the vents? I'm too big to get through the hole. I think she's up there." _I quickly moved my head back when Edward looked towards the ceiling. Alice must have nodded because I didn't hear her reply.

"_Jazz, help me up." Shit, fuck, no! _I looked behind me and noticed that there was no way I could turn around in the confined space, so with a deep breathe I quickly moved over the vent and continued crawling with much more speed than before.

"_Almost there Jazz."_ I heard Alice's voice float through the vents as I crawled as quickly as possible.

My heart sunk when I came to a dead end. It was larger than the rest of the vents and turned left so you couldn't see around the corner until you were directly in front of it.

I crawled to the little corner and turned around, pulling my knees to my chest. I wrapped my arms around my knees and rested my head on them; _this is where I'm going to die_.

I waited for Alice to come find me and drag me back to Edward. He was going to kill me for trying to escape, I just know it. Several minutes passed when I heard a soft voice whisper my name. At first I thought I was dreaming until I felt an icy hand touch my arm.

I pushed further into my small corner and slowly raised my head to see Alice mirroring my position on the other side of the vent.

"Hi, Isabella, right?"

I shook my head; Edward calls me Isabella, "Ju-just Bella."

She nodded but never spoke.

"I'm sorry about my brother." She smiled sadly at me after a few minutes of silence.

I shrugged; I didn't have a response to that.

"Are you going to drag me back to Edward so he can 'punish' me?" I asked, avoiding her eyes.

She looked at me for a few minutes, causing me to take a ragged breath when she gave me her answer.

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><p><strong>AN: Dun, Dun, Dunnnn. I'm sorry, I had to :) **

**I probably won't get a chance to update for a while, but if you guys can give me at least 10 reviews, I'll do my best to update by next Saturday. If I get more than 10, then I'll try updating sooner, maybe on Thursday? **

**I have to warn you guys though, this weekend coming up is a busy one for me, I'm going dress shopping with my friend on Thursday, and then I have my formal (supper and dance/drinking) on Saturday, so I might be a little tipsy to post a new chapter when I get back from the hotel (that's where the formal is being held) that night. I usually don't drink much though, so I should be fine :)**

**I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and I'm terribly sorry again for the wait! **

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**Maddie**


	5. Alice Knows Best

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, SM does :)**_  
><em>

**I'm sorry I haven't been updating recently! Life got so busy! But here's the next chapter. I'll try to update more frequently but I can't make any promises! See you at the bottom :)**

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><p><em>Previously:<em>

"_Hi, Isabella, right?"_

_I shook my head; Edward calls me Isabella, "Ju-just Bella."_

_She nodded but never spoke. _

"_I'm sorry about my brother." She smiled sadly at me after a few minutes of silence. _

_I shrugged; I didn't have a response to that. _

"_Are you going to drag me back to Edward so he can 'punish' me?" I asked, avoiding her eyes._

_She looked at me for a few minutes, causing me to take a ragged breath when she gave me her answer. _

**Bella's POV**

She shook her head, "I'm not like Edward."

"Wh-what?" I asked confused. _Did I hear her right? _

She smiled, "I was in your position once Bella. I eventually warmed up to them because I knew Jasper would never hurt me. James scared me into thinking all vampires are cruel but when I met Jasper I knew that he was lying. The Cullens are kind people if you give them a chance."

I blinked, "Di-did you say Ja-James?" _That can't be right, I _must_ be hearing things. _

She nodded slowly, "You know him?"

Horrible memories threatened to take over but I kept them locked away, at least for now. I nodded, "H-he kidnapped me when I was three."

"Oh Bella, I'm sorry, I didn't know." She frowned, but on her face it just didn't look right.

I smiled at her, hoping she wouldn't blame herself. She looked back towards the dark vent then to me.

"I'm not going back out there. Ed-I mean _Master Edward_ will probably kill me for disobeying. Although death is probably a better option than living a life like mine."

"Master Edward?" She trailed off, and then realization hit her. "Who told you to call him that?"

"Dr. Cullen."

"My father-in-law? Wow, I never thought he would be a person of title."

"Your fa-father-in-law? You're mar-married?" Now I was the confused one.

She nodded and the smile returned to her face. "Yes, when I met Jasper I knew he was the one, so I convinced him to change me. He was reluctant at first because he didn't want to upset the Volturi but he promised me he would change me before our first year anniversary. We got married last December. This will be our first anniversary in a few short months." She was bouncing with excitement. "And Bella, don't worry about Edward, if he touches you, he'll have to go through Jasper and I, and even Emmett and Rosalie! No one should have to suffer like Rose did last year." She shook her head, all excitement gone.

"Is she a vampire too?"

Alice nodded, "Yes, Jasper and Emmett found us at the same time. But that's a story for another day, Jasper is worried about me, and Edward is worried about you, come on let's get out of here." She moved towards the main vent but I just watched her.

I shook my head, "I'm not leaving."

"_Isabella, I know you're up there! I suggest you follow Alice and stop acting like a bratty child!" _Edward hissed through the vent. _Could he hear us the entire time?_

"Please Bella, I promise I won't let anything happen to you." She stretched her hand towards me and I instantly flinched back thinking she was going to grab me. After a few seconds she sighed and continued crawling further into the vent. "Last chance Bella, Jasper is worried and we're meeting with my mother-in-law, Esme." I sighed and followed her. She would get me down eventually, so maybe the punishment won't be as bad if I just follow her.

We crawled until we reached the first vent. She got on the other side of it so she was facing me.

"I'm going to go down first, okay? Jasper will be there to catch you when you go. He's nice, I trust him and you should too." I watched her removed the grate and gracefully slid down. With one last smile, she disappeared from sight.

I looked down and saw her next to Jasper. "Come on Bella, it's not that far, I promise."

I sighed and lower my legs so they were dangling, then slowly lower my body. When I was hanging by only my fingers I felt someone grab my legs and my grip slipped, causing me to fall. I didn't land on the floor like I was supposed to; instead I landed softly in someone's arms. I opened my eyes to see the blonde Alice had called Jasper. He sat me on my feet and waited until I got my balance before releasing his hold on my arm.

"Thanks." I whispered.

"You're welcome ma'am." He smiled, and at that moment I knew I trusted him, even just a little bit.

"_Alice! Open this door!"_ Edward yelled from the hallway. I was behind Jasper in a second flat.

"It's okay Bella; we won't let him hurt you." Alice smiled as she opened the door just an inch and poked her head out. "Yes, Edward?" I heard her ask in a sweet voice.

"Let me in Alice. I don't want to hurt you, but I will if you don't move." Edward hissed. Now I was really scared.

"Edward, she's scared so don't yell at her."

"Don't tell me what to do Alice. Just because you're married to by brother doesn't mean you're my equal. Now, let. Me. In."

Alice sighed but moved from the doorway. Edward was next to me a second later. I squeaked as he grabbed my arm and pulled me from the room.

"Edward!" Alice yelled.

"Shut up; Jasper control your wife." I watched Jasper grabbed Alice in his arms and they both watched as Edward pulled me away.

"Alice." I whispered as she disappeared from my sight. I struggled to get out of Edward's grasp but it was too tight.

"Stop it Isabella." He continued down the hallway and back to his room where he threw me towards the corner. I whimpered as my elbow made contact with the wall. He grabbed the cuff and attached me to the wall. I was once again trapped against my will.

"Ed- Master Edward, please don't do this, I'm sorry!"

"Shut up! Don't think you can avoid punishment by sucking up. You will still be punished." He hissed and continued to pace back and forth the room.

"Then what are you waiting for; punish me!" I yelled, gaining a sudden burst of courage. His hand was gripping my chin the moment I blinked, his eyes full of fury and hunger.

"Is this how you want to be treated Isabella? Like a pet; because that's all you are to me. You're nothing but a little human pet. I have a leash and collar for you in the bag, along with a water bowl and food dish. I will treat you like a pet Isabella; starting now." He released my chin and walked human pace to the closet to retrieve the bag. He placed all the items on the floor in front of me. True to his word there was a blue collar, matching leash, and food and water bowls.

"Please, I'm sorry; I'll obey and do better. Please don't do this, I'll be good." I begged as much as I hated it.

"Shut it Isabella, I told you before, begging is not going to work." He picked up the collar and was next to me before I could blink. I didn't have time to move away before I felt his hands at my neck; I was officially his pet now. Even James and Victoria didn't make me feel this low.

He adjusted the collar one last time before placing the water bowl next to the wall filled to the top with water and the food bowl with cheerios. I didn't realize he had left the room to go fill them. With one final look at me, he left the room. I cried myself to sleep when he left, so I never heard him re-enter the room.

**~*~*~TLOIMS~*~*~**

The entire week I was treated like a pet. Edward would smack me on the head if I spoke, or used my hands to eat, and he was constantly filling the water and food bowls. For the first three days I avoided the food and water, refusing to eat from a bowl like a dog. On the fourth day he bribed me to eat the food if I wanted to use the bathroom and shower; my bladder felt like it was about to explode so I slowly ate the dry cereal one piece at a time with my mouth. He unhooked me from the wall and when I went to stand, I fell right back to the floor again. He slapped me on the head three times and told me 'pets don't walk on two legs' so I had to crawl to the bathroom. Once inside he removed my collar and 'helped' me with my clothes. I tried protesting but my body was so weak from the lack of food that it did no good against his strength.

"Isabella, get in the tub." I cowered against the side of the tub; I didn't want him to see me naked. "Isabella." He repeated. I shook my head but otherwise ignored him. He let out a frustrated growl and left the bathroom.

Several minutes later I heard his voice again, _"She won't get in!"_

"_And why do you think that is? She's scared of you Edward! Any trust that you gained is completely gone!" _Alice; I knew her voice right away.

"_Emmett told me that he tamed Rosalie! He said that James got him all the essentials and he did the rest."_

"_You really are stupid!"_ I heard the sound of stone meeting stone followed by a growl. _"Do you really believe everything Emmett tells you? Of course he 'tamed' Rose, but not like this! He didn't treat her like a dog you asshole!" _

They were silent for a few minutes then I heard Jasper's voice.

"_Edward just let her help the poor girl. She's never going to trust you if you keep acting like this. She's still a kid; you _can't_ treat her like this!"_

I heard Edward sigh and the door opened seconds later. At first I thought it was him returning, but I relaxed a little when I recognized Alice.

"Hi Bella." She smiled as she mimicked my pose but stayed next to the closed door.

I didn't answer her, afraid Edward was outside the door listening.

She must have noticed my frantic eyes, "Don't worry Bella, Edward is gone. He went for a walk to clear his head; Jasper's orders." She giggled softly.

I gave her a weak smile; it was all I could manage.

"How about we get you in the bathtub and dressed before Edward comes back? I know you're uncomfortable around him since he started treating you this way but I promise that when he gets back he'll come to his senses." She winked as she helped me into the tub. She adjusted the water and went to get me some clothes, giving me some privacy as I listened to the steady stream of running water.

When she returned she turned off the water and gave me some shampoo, conditioner and soap before leaving again, promising me she would only be in the bedroom until I'm ready. She was giving me complete freedom and for once, I was starting to feel like a normal person again.

**~*~*~TLOIMS~*~*~**

I emerged out of the bathroom –after getting the feeling back in my numb legs- forty-five minutes later, refreshed and ready to face whatever _Master Edward_ was going to throw at me. I stopped short when I saw Edward standing with his back to me, facing the window. My first instinct was to drop to my knees like a slave I was raised to be but I forced myself to stay strong as I turned off the light in the bathroom, causing him to turn around to face me.

I braced myself for the yelling that would surely come when he saw me standing on two legs but it never came. He stared at me, taking every inch of my body in from top to bottom. He quickly composed his face back into the mask I have become accustomed to.

"Isabella." He said; one simple word made me want to drop to my knees, but I didn't, I stayed strong.

"Edward." I replied. His eyes narrowed at me, but I didn't utter another word. I was sick of being the girl everyone pushed around. I've been pushed around my entire life by James and Victoria, and I made a commitment –starting now- that I wouldn't let anyone else push me around, no matter what their status was.

"Isabella." He repeated his voice more stern than before.

"Yes Edward? I heard you fine the first time." He walked at a human pace toward me, but –for some strange reason- I never moved or cowered away like I wanted to.

"You are nothing but a slave Isabella, you will respect me." I opened my mouth to speak but his hand shot out and ended anything I was about to say. "Don't speak. Rule number three; you will only speak when spoken to and/or asked a direct question. Understand?" He let go of my mouth and I nodded. This wasn't the answer he was looking for as he gripped my hair and twisted it in his hands, causing me to cry out in pain. "I asked you a question, you reply with 'Yes Master' or 'No Master'. Since you obviously need a reminder I'll let that little slip go. I'll ask again; do you understand?"

As much as I forced the words to stay trapped, they escaped. I let out a weak "Yes Master" and his hand was gone from my hair. I gripped my head where he had pulled and rubbed it gently.

"Good. That wasn't hard, was it?" it was a rhetorical question so I didn't answer, as much as I wanted to.

He walked to the door and left the room, leaving me standing next to the bathroom door in shock. _What just happened?_

Minutes later there was a soft knock on the door, and a young girl popped her heads inside as she opened it. She looked around my age and smiled gently when she saw me standing by the bathroom.

"Hi I'm Ashley; you must be the Isabella everyone has been talking about." I didn't answer her back, but really didn't have to since she kept talking. "I'm just here to clean Master Edward's sheets. Angela had warned us that you were new here and to not speak with you. What she doesn't know won't hurt her, right?" I nodded, slightly stunned; _this girl talks a mile a minute!_ "Okay, well I'm just going to take the sheets and I'll be back with new ones in a minute. I don't know why we have to change the bed sheets every week, I mean, it's not like they are actually slept on because vampi-"

"Ashley! That's enough. You may leave." Edward stood in the doorway behind Ashley with a furious look on his face. What's his problem, the girl was only talking.

Ashley slowly turned around and bowed her head, "Yes Sir, sorry Sir." She quickly walked out of the room, obviously scared of Edward.

"What was that for?" I heard myself yell, but didn't realize what I was doing until it was done. "Opps." I added.

"Yeah, 'opps'." Edward said as he pointed to the corner of the room. I looked in the direction that his finger was pointing but didn't make a move. "Corner. Now." He said between clenched teeth.

"Why? I'm not a child! You can't punish me by sending me to the corner." My hands covered my mouth mere seconds after the words were spoken.

"Oh really? Would you rather stay in the basement where the rest of our disobedient slaves are forced to go? The choice is yours." He closed the door and leaned against it.

I gasped at his words but squared my shoulders, staring him in the eyes. "If it means getting away from you…" I mumbled One second he was standing by the door, the next he was in front of me, his hand tightly tangled in my freshly washed hair.

"Emmett might not have treated his _wife_ like this, but I'll show them that I'll train you how I want to train you. You _will_ obey me, and you _will_ start right now. Understand?" I wanted to disagree with him but when he gripped my chin with his free hand; I knew I lost the battle. He nodded my head for me and pulled me towards the corner. "Since I can't trust you to be out of this room on your own, you are in solitary confinement until further notice. For every order you disobey from now on, you're punishment will get worst. Understand?"

I nodded, suddenly afraid of Edward as he towered over my small frame.

He shook his head, "You never learn do you." He turned my body towards the corner with his hand still tightly tangled in my hair and pushed my back, directing me to walk. When I didn't move he grabbed my around the waist and carried me to the corner of the room where he locked me against the wall again. Without another word he left the room.

Ten days, 240 hours, too many minutes and uncountable seconds; that's how long I've been in this room, in _his _room. He never returned since he chained me to the wall. Once a day a servant would enter the room, unlock my wrist to let me freshen up and give me enough food and water for the entire day, when I returned from the bathroom they would lock my wrist to the wall again.

On the third day I tried escaping as I was leaving the bathroom. I made it out of the room and ran ten feet down the hallway before colliding with a rock hard chest. The man, who I remembered as Emmett, frowned but none the less, dragged me back to Edward's room where the servant was becoming frantic. Emmett ordered her to lock me to the wall and she obeyed without hesitation. Needless to say I never tried escaping again because after that Emmett would come in the room with whichever servant was on 'Bella Duty' that day.

I couldn't stand being in the room any more. Staring at the same four walls all day, every day was driving me insane. I kindly asked Amanda –who was currently on babysitting duties- to get me something to drink. She was hesitant to leave the room, having received strict orders from Edward, but eventually she left. I had asked her about an hour before to un-cuff my wrist so I could get a shower and she had yet to reattach the cuff. When she quietly left the room I waited for a few seconds then slowly moved towards the door. I opened it an inch to make sure the coast was clear, and then slipped out of the room, shutting the door behind me. I ran down hallways after hallways looking for a door or any possible kind of exit.

I was just about to round the corner when I heard voices.

"_I haven't seen her for ten days. I got mad and left; I screwed up Jas." _That was the unmistakably sound of Edward's voice.

"_I'd say. When James gave me Alice for my nineteenth I didn't treat her like you treated Bella. I let her know up front that yes I was a vampire, but despite what James had taught her I wasn't going to hurt her. She may be human, but I saw her as my equal since day one." He paused. "Besides, Dad didn't raise us to treat innocent girls like this."_

Not wanting to get caught, I turned around and looked for another exit. Eventually I came to a set of stairs and slowly walk down. Once at the bottom I quickly took cover again. I stood between the wall and a large plant as I tried to catch my breath. Just as I was about to move, an arm wrapped around my waist and a hand firmly pressed against my mouth. I struggled, but instantly stopped when I heard the mysterious person's voice.

"I thought I told you to be a good girl?" It was James.

His nose moved up and down my neck. "Hmm, maybe I should have kept you for myself." I struggled with him again, trying to get away, but he only tightened his grip, cutting off my air supply in the process.

_I have to get away from him, _was my only thought as my world went black.

**~The*Life*Of*Isabella*Marie*Swan~**

I awoke sometime later to harsh voices.

"_I don't fucking care if you 'found' her, you had no business __touching her."_

"_But Mr.C-"_

"_Don't Mr. Dale. I don't want to hear your excuses. You're lucky it was me that found you and not my father or Edward. I'm giving you exactly five minutes to get out of this house and off the property."_

"_Mr. Cullen, please I can explain just give me two minutes."_

I heard the man known as 'Mr. Cullen' growl, "_You have thirty seconds."_

"_The reason I picked her up was because…she was at the bottom of the stairs…she fainted…maybe hit her head on the way down."_

"_Ten seconds." _Mr. Cullen interrupted.

"_I found her alright! I saw her hiding behind a plant and I didn't want her punishment to be harsher than it had to be. I picked her up and was going to find Edward. That's when I ran into you. I know it looks bad-"_

"_Time's up Mr. Dale, I suggest you leave now."_

"_I'm sorry Mr. Cullen, I really am."_

"_You should have thought about your actions James. Like I said, you're lucky it was me you ran into and not my father or Edward. I won't have to repeat myself, will I?" _I finally recognized the voice as Emmett.

"_Of course not, Mr. Cullen."_

Both voices disappeared and it was then I decided to open my eyes and take in my surroundings. I was in an office on a sofa near the wall. I hesitantly got up and looked around to find a door. Spotting the tall oak door, I was careful as I place my hand on the doorknob. Just as I was about to open it I heard voices right outside.

"_Are you sure he left the house Emmett?"_

"_Yes Edward, I'm sure. I followed him out myself. That bastard had the nerve to lie to me about having a meeting with you."_

Panicking, I quickly locked the door and ran to the other side. I hid under a desk and just waited.

The doorknob wiggled, but the door was not opened. Minutes passed and the doorknob was turned slightly before I heard a loud snap. The sound caused me to jump and curl my body tighter into a ball. The door opened and two sets of feet walked in.

Emmett's booming voice filled the room. "What the fuck, Edward?" He shouted. "That was a perfectly good doorknob, and I had the _keys!_"

"You said she was in here. Where the fuck is she?" Edward growled, ignoring Emmett's protesting.

"She is-" I knew by now they had noticed me missing –again- but I didn't dare make a move. "Fuck!"

"How can you lose a sixteen year old girl Emmett? SIXTEEN!" Edward stormed out of the room and down the hallway, Emmett was close behind him.

I was just about to remove myself from my hiding spot when the door was opened again. I jumped about a mile when I heard her voice right next to me.

"Hi Bella."

I turned my head quickly to my left where she was currently sitting.

"Alice, y-you scared me."

She giggled, "I know. This is a very clever hiding spot. They were too caught up in their own battles to look for you. I knew they weren't going to find you." She winked and smiled proudly.

"How.."

"Just a _feeling_." I stared at the strange girl before shaking my head.

"I have to go. Please help me get out of here." I begged Alice but she didn't look convinced.

"If I let you go then Edward will be very upset and the consequences will be horrible. I'm sorry Bella, but you two are going to be happy; just give it some time."

"Alice, I will _never_ be happy with Edward."

"Sure you will. Now let's get you back to Edward's room." With that she pulled be from my hiding spot and proceeded to drag me down the many hallways towards my doom.

She pushed me in the door, attached me to the wall and left the room just minutes before Edward burst in the room.

"I swear to…Isabella?" His features went from furiously to confuse in under a second. I'm not sure if he was happy to see me, or just planning a harsher way to punish me. I stared at him –despite my conscious telling me to remember my training- and waited for his reaction.

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><p><strong>I'm soooo sorry it too me seven months to update! I almost had this chapter wrote, just never have the time to finish it. I hope it was worth the wait :) Review and let me hear your thoughts. If you have any ideas for future chapters let me know :) <strong>


	6. Asking for forgiveness

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything, all rights belong to the amazingly talented, Stephenie Meyer. **

**Here is it, Chapter 6! At least you didn't have to wait **_**as long**_** for this chapter. :) **

**This chapter is not beta'd, so any and all mistakes are mine (hopefully I didn't miss too many) **

**Enjoy the chapter and I'll meet you at the bottom !**

_Previously…_

_"Alice, I will __never__ be happy with Edward."_

_"Sure you will. Now let's get you back to Edward's room." With that she pulled be from my hiding spot and proceeded to drag me down the many hallways towards my doom._

_She pushed me in the door, attached me to the wall and left the room just minutes before Edward burst in the room._

_"I swear to…Isabella?" His features went from furiously to confuse in under a second. I'm not sure if he was happy to see me, or just planning a harsher way to punish me. I stared at him –despite my conscious telling me to remember my training- and waited for his reaction._

Our eyes were locked for what felt like eternity before Edward spoke again.

"Isabella, I have been looking for you."

I debated whether or not I should answer him, and when I stayed silent he walked towards me and removed the cuff from my wrist, then took a seat on the bed. He ran a hand through his hair before looking at me again.

"Isabella, I'm sincerely sorry for how I treated you these past couple of days. My parents had raised me better than that. I know it will take some time before you can trust me, but I will wait. I honestly don't understand why I acted like a spoiled brat, and for that I am sorry." He paused and ran a hand though his hair again, "What's going on in that head of yours; please talk to me." He moved back to rest against the headboard then patted the bed.

I didn't understand why his mood was suddenly changing. _Was this all just one big test?_ I shook my head and stayed in my place on the floor.

"Okay, here's the deal, my brothers told me I had to fix this mess I made with you or there will be major consequences. Now I know from what you were told, you know we are vampires, we're indestructible, but trust me; there are many ways in which they could hurt me. Exactly how much did James and Victoria teach you about us, and the outside world?"

That got my attention, "Wh-what do you mean?"

"You know, vampires, our kind? Isabella, the world you knew before James and Victoria is not the world we live in today. Until about four years ago humans were the dominated species living on earth, but that all changed when Aro Volturi, along with his brother, Caius, and Marcus had enough of hiding in the shadows. With their mass guard, they began to take over the countries, one by one. Eventually humans were no longer the ones who made the decisions; vampires were. Those who accepted what was happening and over the age of forty-five were left alone, but watched at all times. Anyone between the ages of eighteen and forty were to be collected for breeding purposes. The children, ages newborn to seventeen were to be sold to vampires who wanted slaves and children. After living for many of years, we had more money than the average human would make in their lifetime, plus more.

"James, Victoria, and many others ranging from twenty to thirty were selected as 'trainers'. These were the humans who accepted the fate of the world and obeyed their new masters every command. They were the loyal ones and vampires knew these people could be trusted. Many of these trainers choose to do the training in the comfort of their home, but there was also those who didn't like that choice, that's when we invented the HTC, or Human Training Center. This was where humans would be brought after being captured and they would be trained to submission for the vampire who wanted to purchase them.

"James is considered to be one of the best trainers around. He kidnapped and sold many girls; they were all broken when they arrived at their new home. From what I know, you were with James for quite some time, so it was possible for you to have seen some of these girls he was training. Although Alice and Rose were amongst those girls, and you didn't seem to recognize them when you saw them at my birthday. That's their story to tell though.

"So there you have it, if you didn't know about the outside world before, then you do now. This is not some kind of test Isabella, I will not, nor will I ever, punish you. My father called a family meeting the night before you arrived and told us that James Dale was coming over and to act like we have no time for humans. Aside from being one of the top trainers, he's also Mr. Volturi's lap dog; he has to report back to them after the monthly inspection of each of his trained girls and also how the vampire world is coming together. That's why he was hovering around so much after presenting you; he knows there is something different about our family, and he is just waiting to tell Mr. Volturi that we are not respecting one of his many rules.

"Okay Isabella, I'm done talking. Please ask any questions you may have, and when you're ready, I would love to know a little more about you." I tried to process all of what he just told me. Vampires have taken over the world and being ruled by the Volturi brothers? That seems a little far stretched to me, but who knows?

I watched as he moved to lie down, and then closed his eyes. He looked peaceful as he just lid there that I had a hard time looking away. When my stomach rumbled loudly his eyes flew open.

"Sorry." I mumbled, having disturbed his from his rest.

He smiled a little, "I can't sleep anyway, I just like resting my eyes, and it is very calming." After standing from the bed, he offered me his hand, "Come on, let's go get you something to eat."

Ignoring his outstretched hand I stood from my place and walked towards the door. Not daring to open it, I heard him sigh and mumble, "Right, trust issues, and I'm an asshole." He walked passed me and opened the door, then waving me through like the gentleman he put himself out to be.

We walked in silence through the halls, passing many busy servants, or slaves, along the way. Each one we passed bowed their head respectfully and then continued on their way.

When we arrived at the kitchen, Edward directed me to a stool next to the island in the middle of the room. He leaned on the other side of it facing me, "What would you like?"

I shrugged my shoulders, although he assured me that this is not a test, I have never made my own choice when it came to eating. I always had to eat what was placed in front of me, or cooked what was required for meals that day.

"I'll see what Maggie has made for the others. Stay here, okay?" I nodded and watched as he walked out of the room only to return seconds later trailing behind an older woman.

"Hello dear, I'm Maggie, I take care of all the cooking in this place, and have to deal with this pain in the ass. What can I get you to eat? Name anything; I'm sure we have it." The woman stared at me for a few seconds before turning towards Edward, "What did you do to this poor girl?"

Edward raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow at her, "Me? What makes you think I did anything?"

"Please, one look into her eyes and you can tell she scared to death of you." She turned towards me again, "Honey, how about I get you some pizza? Would you like that?"

I nodded, "Yes, please." This was all so new to me.

"Your sixth sense thing really creep me out sometimes." Edward laughed, shaking his head at Maggie who was busy moving around the kitchen.

"Here you go dear, careful, it's hot." Maggie said as she placed a tall glass of water and a plate with two slices of pizza in front of me.

"Thank-you." I whispered, and then stared at the floor until Edward gave me permission to eat. I have no idea how he expected me to act anymore. He apologized several times, he told me of the world we were living in, but yet, I still can't find myself to trust him. I _want_ to believe him, but I've been trained to look at things and act a certain way for fifteen years of my life.

"Isabella? Why aren't you eating?" Edward asked the concern clear in his voice. I kept my head down and stayed quiet, that's what James and Victoria would require me to do.

_Flashback_

_Six year old Bella yawned and stretched as she heard James' voice calling her from outside her door. "Lily time to wake up, Daddy's coming in." The door opened and Bella plastered a fake smile on her face just to please this man and woman who took her life from her. _

"_Good morning Daddy." She said, smiling brightly. _

"_Good morning Princess. It's time for breakfast." Bella accepted James' hand and they walked towards the kitchen. Victoria was busy setting the table when they entered the room. Like every morning, Bella was expected to run into her 'mommy's' arms. _

_Victoria turned around when James cleared his throat, "Lily, good morning sweetie. I made your favourite today, blueberry pancakes and French toast." Bella didn't like her blueberry pancakes, or her French toast, but she had learned not to complain. Bella placed a wide smile on her face again, and ran towards Victoria, "Good morning Mommy." She giggled when Victoria placed little kisses all over her tiny face. _

_When Victoria placed the food in front of Bella, she dug in right away. James had just re-entered the room when Bella placed the first piece of food in her mouth. _

"_Lillian Dale, what do you think you are doing?" James said in a deathly calm voice. Bella dropped the fork out of fright and lowered her head. She knew that voice, that was the voice James used when she was in trouble. "Answer me girl, what do you think you are doing?" Within seconds he was across the room and beside his 'daughter'. He spun the chair around so she faced him, and then grabbed her chin, applying enough pressure to cause her to spit out the food in her mouth. _

"_I'm sorry Daddy. I was eating my bue-berry pancakes, I'm sorry." Bella didn't understand what she did wrong; wasn't she supposed to eat her food like a good girl? She felt tears pool in her eyes and tried her best not to cry. James and Victoria told her that crying gets you nowhere. It makes you look weak and pathetic. _

"_You _never, ever, _eat without my permission, understand?" Bella nodded her head as best she could with James tight grip on her chin. "Answer me correctly, do you understand?"_

"_Yes, daddy." She managed to get out even with James still gripping her tiny face. _

"_Good, glad you understand. Just for disobeying me, you'll sit in the corner for six minute, and then I expect you to clean your plate, even if it is cold." James didn't give her a chance to argue as he lifted her in his arms and carried her to her 'time-out' corner._

"_Daddy, I'm sorry." Bella whimpered, try as she might, she couldn't stop her tears from falling._

_James ignored her and walked back towards the kitchen where Victoria was waiting for him._

"_Honey, don't you think you were a little harsh, I mean she's just a little girl, she didn't know any better." Victoria tried to reason with her husband._

_James quickly turned to face her, stalking closer with each word, "Are you trying to tell me how to be a parent?" _

"_N-no James, I was just think-" Victoria was standing against the wall with James towering over her._

"_See, there is your problem, 'you _think' _about things. If you just cook and clean like a wife is supposed to, I wouldn't have to deal with your useless _thinking_." Victoria lowered her head. She knew if she spoke another word, things would go from bad to worst. "Go sit at the table; I have to go deal with that little brat." Victoria nodded and took her place at the table. She knew James was going to be in a bad mood for the rest of the day, and she dreaded for tonight to come. _

_Bella's tears had long stopped because she knew James would be mad if he caught her crying. She had to take her punishment like a big girl._

"_Lillian, time is up, now come apologize to daddy." Bella quickly stood from her chair in the corner and walked towards James. _

_She looked him directly in the eye, "I am sorry daddy, I did a bad thing, thank-you for punishing me." _

"_I forgive you, now go sit at the table and apologize to your mother for delaying breakfast." James watched as she took off running towards the kitchen. He smirked as he stood to follow her. _

_Standing in the doorway with his arms crossed over his chest, James' smirk never left his face as he watched his girls. One day, they would learn not to question him. _

_When Victoria said she forgave Bella, James instructed the family to begin eating, even though their food was now cold. The only thing worse than blueberry pancakes and French toast was _cold _blueberry pancakes and French toast, but somehow Bella managed to finish everything on her plate. _

_After that morning, she always waited for James' permission to eat or drink anything that was placed in front of her and she never questioned him again. _

_End of flashback_

I was brought back to the present when I heard Edward clear his throat, "It's going to be cold if you do not eat. Did you want something else, I'm sure Maggie will fix you anything you desire. Isabella, please communicate with me."

"Yes Master, sorry master. I have not eaten because you have not granted me permission to do so." I said, my voice not far from sounding automatic.

"Isabella, I'm sorry for whatever James and Victoria put you through, but you do not need permission to eat. You are your own person. We will not treat you like you are below us."

Maggie interrupted Edward before he could continue, "I'll give you two some space. You know where to find me Edward, if you need me." Edward nodded and watched as she left the kitchen.

"Isabella,"

"Bella. Call me Bella." I corrected him, only my mother and father has the right to call me Isabella, it's the last memory I have of them.

"Of course, Bella, look I know this whole thing may be confusing for you, but please hear me out. We are not cruel like you were made to believe upon arrival. We _knew_ James would be lurking in the shadows, so we had to play the part of 'high-class vampires'. My birthday was just another way to get on Mr. Volturi's good-side. Thankfully Jasper caught you before Aro saw that you were trying to escape. James is band from our house until the end of the month, when he will be allowed in to check on you.

"With regards to the many rules those two had you memorize and follow to a tee, I need to know them, and I need _you_ to know that you do _not_ have to follow them. I'm sure some of them were just straight down ridiculous." I stare at him, not know what else to do.

_So let me get this straight, he wants me to forget all the rules I have learn and perfected for the past fifteen years, and just start over? I could do that…I think._

"Bella?" I looked towards Edward for the millionth time today. "So, what do you say? Do you want to start over? Just forget about the life James and Victoria made you live, and start a new life with us? You saw how happy Alice was with Jasper, and Rosalie was with Emmett; _we_ could eventually be like that Bella, if you would just open up, and let me in. I want to get to know you, the _real you_, and not the Isabella that James and Victoria raised."

"Okay." I whispered so softly I didn't think he heard me since he kept talking.

"My father and mother raised us to be good people, not the monsters you meet the day you arrived. I know you may think that we will never share the love that Ali and Jazz has, or Em and Rose, or even my parents, but trust me when I say that we will try. It takes two to have a relationship so I need to get inside that head of yours and figure out the real you."

"Okay." I repeated a little louder this time, but again he just kept talking, almost rambling now as he started to repeat himself.

"I'll make this right I swear I will. I'll earn your trust the right way. You know, since Ali and Rose came into the family I have felt like the odd-ball. Everywhere we went there were loving couples surrounding me, and I was left out of the equation so to speak. I never felt the love that they share. Sure my parents and siblings arranged more than one date for me, but then all ended miserably; the girls were either too clingy, or just wanted me for my large amount of money. I have never found _that girl_, the one who wanted me for _me. _Oh, listen to me, ranting on and on about my problems. I-I'll leave you to eat, call me when you are finished; I'll show you around and take you to your room."

"Edward." I got the courage –somehow- to speak as he was about to leave the room.

He turned towards me; his entire face was covered in shock. "Yeah Bella?" He asked, almost hopeful.

"I...I…I'm finished my lunch." _That's not what I was about to say. Where did that come from?_

"What? Oh…_oh_, yeah, great. I guess I will show you around and bring you to your room. Follow me, don't worry about the dishes."

I left me seat and trailed behind this strange, strange man. _Who was this person? How can he have such an effect on me? Why do I feel like I can trust him? _So many questions swirled in my head; I had a hard time keeping track of my own thoughts.

I want so bad to trust him, and to know that he will stick to his word and not hurt me, but that's _exactly_ what James and Victoria did to me. The first three years they held me prisoner, they showed me nothing but a love and caring mother and father-figure. When I was six, James let his real colors shine through and I learned to never judge a book by its cover ever again. Still, there was something about Edward that made me _want_ to believe him, but I couldn't; I couldn't let myself trust a stranger. If he wanted my trust, then he would have to earn it.

"So, that's the house, and here's your room. I-I'll get Alice or Rosalie to give you some clothes for tonight, and tomorrow you can pick out some things you like, would that be okay with you?" I nodded and waited for him to continue. "Oh-okay, I mean, I'm not trying to _force_ you into picking out your clothes or anything, I just want you to feel at home, –or as much at home as you can- what I mean is…listen, here's the deal. I'm no good at this being nice stuff, believe it or not, I feel like a geeky teenager boy trying to score a date with the prettiest girl in school. Okay, well, um, good-night, I guess."

Watching Edward walk away made me feel horrible. The expression on his face made it look like I just told him that his puppy died. As much as I would like to run after him and tell him that he had earned my trust, I didn't. I forced myself to step into the open door instead of following Edward like my heart told me to.

The room was big, well big was an understatement, the room was huge! It had a king sized bed in the middle with a dresser, flat-screen TV, a desk, a walk-in closet and an ensuite. If I didn't know any better, I would say this place was a hotel.

I walked over to the bed and placed my hand on the silky comforter. Feeling like a kid, I turned around and flung myself on the bed, causing someone to giggle.

Remembering where I was, I quickly stood up and bowed my head, only to see Alice and a blonde-hair girl standing in the doorway.

"I'm sorry, that was rude of me." I turned to fix the comforter when Alice's voice stopped me.

"Please continue, you looked so care-free and _happy_." One look at Alice and I knew she wasn't upset with me, in fact, she looked pleased.

"I really am sorry for messing up the bed, it's just that, I have always wanted to do that, and well, James and Victoria would kill me if I had done that at their home."

At the mention of the devil and she-devil, Alice and the other girl's smiles faded. They shared and look then walked towards the bed.

"You might want to have a seat for this. I'm Rosalie, by the way." I took a seat between them just as Rosalie continued speaking. "Alice and I have been talking, and well, we've come to the conclusion that we saw you before; or at least, we think we did." I looked towards Alice and she nodded.

"I-I don't…oh my god, the restaurant." Alice and Rosalie were the girls I saw the night of my twelfth birthday dinner.

Alice placed her hand over mine, "Well, after that night, something happened to us, and I think you should hear it before you judge Edward, Emmett and Jasper for _who_ they are instead of _what _they are, okay?"

Not being able to form words, or a coherent thought, I just nodded and listened to Rosalie and Alice tell their story.

**I'm sorry it's so short and confusing (Edward's moods are starting to give **_**me**_** whiplash), but I think I have writer's block again. I know what I want to happen; I just don't know how to put it in words. I'm hoping to receive some much needed inspiration from my readers and with any luck by tomorrow I'll have another chapter ready to go. **

**All reviewers get a teasers to Chapter seven :D**


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